Blood Pacts
by Kagelu
Summary: A rouge ninja returns to the Leaf village after years of exile. He is mentor to Iruka. And what is his relation with Naruto?
1. Prologue

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Blood Pacts

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Disclaimer: Naruto and it's characters are copyright of Masashi Kishimoto. I'm just borrowing the characters to play around with.

A/N: This is a doujinshi plot that I was planning to do after the cosplay in December.

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**__**

Prologue:-

11 year old Iruka raised a soapy hand up to wipe the sweat from his brow. Thankfully he had decided not to use permanent paint this time for his prank. He paused to examine his progress. Most of the graffiti was gone, the remainder should be gone if Iruka continued at this pace. 

"Humph, provided I don't die of heat stroke first." Iruka added out loud. He gave a little jump when an unexpected voice countered from behind him.

"You have only yourself to blame, you know that."

Iruka swung around to look up at the man behind him. "Kazama sensei! Don't scare me like that! I thought I was going to have a heart attack."

In answer, the older ninja sighed and dramatically shrugged his shoulders. Iruka couldn't see the upper part of his Sensei's face clearly due to the half-mask the latter always wears but he could have sworn that his teacher's eyes was twinkling with great amusement. 

"Iruka, Iruka. Really Iruka, why do you go on vexing your teachers so?"

"Cause I can, Sensei! And besides, you've never affected by my pranks so why are you complaining."

The man laughed and gave young Iruka's head an affectionate pat. "What you mean? I'm always the one who ends up spending my afternoon chasing you, you little imp. It's a good thing you are my favourite student."

"Really? In that case, how about letting me off this once, Sensei?" Iruka battled his lashes in what he hoped was an innocent expression.

The other gave a snort. "It's because you are my favourite that's why I'm here to cheer you on."

"What?! Kazama sensei, if this is how you treat your favourites, I'm glad I'm not in your bad books."

"Enough, young man. Hurry up and finish washing the paint off that wall. And for that cheeky remark, you are going to have dinner at my place tonight."

"What?! Oh no, more training?! Don't you ever give up you workaholic, I'll be dead by the end of the year if I keep having to go to your place for tuition every time I pull a prank."

"Shut up, the exams are around the corner. You should be grateful I'm willing to teach a lazybones like you. Hey, you miss a spot over there."

"Slave-driver." 

Iruka mumbled under his breath. But his mouth cracked into a grin and he renewed his cleaning efforts with vigour.

In contrast to his spoken words, Iruka felt a warm feeling spreading within him. Ever since his parents' death, Iruka had been feeling depress and lonely. In the day, he chased the feelings away by playing pranks, occupying himself with schoolwork and so on. However they return every night when he goes home to face his empty apartment. That was until he met Kazama sensei. After 2 repeated failures to graduate from ninja school, he got transferred to what they termed the 'hopeless class'. That was where he met Kazama sensei who is the youngest and lowest ranking teacher in the school. Strangely, Kazama appear to have taken a liking to him and is more tolerant and understanding of Iruka's mischievous ways. He even goes out of his way to take care of Iruka outside school matters, becoming something like a surrogate parent. At first it was tuition, these days, Iruka treats Kazama's large traditional Japanese house like his second home. He even have his own room there with some of his belongings. There is only thing preventing Iruka from moving in permanently, but that's another matter entirely. Right now, all Iruka wants to do is finish his task and return 'home' with his mentor.

The sound of splashing water by his side and Kazama sensei was down on his knees scrubbing alongside Iruka. "The rate you are going, we'll be having supper instead of dinner."

The younger boy started to cough to hide the laughter that threatened to spill out and scrubbed even harder than before.

*** 

Waking up with a start, Iruka noticed two things. First, he was at his desk in the teacher's staff room. Second, he was dripping wet. 

He lifted his head up to meet the blue eyes of Naruto. The boy was holding an empty glass in one hand while the other one rested on the hipbone in an impatient gesture.

Naruto frowned and whined. "Iruka sensei! You promised you'll treat me to Ramen lunch today. Hurry up, I'm starving."

Spying the staff room clock, Iruka cursed. 

"Brat, there's still 5 more minutes. Now I have to change and you will have to wait even longer."

"What?" 

Naruto was surprise. Iruka would normally be screaming at him by now for such a prank, probably still sleep-dazed, he muse.

Iruka shook his head as he headed out for the locker room. The dream had left him disoriented, it has been years since he thought of his mentor. The irony of his situation drew a dry chuckle from his lips. How strange that he, Iruka would be protecting Naruto of all people especially since it was due to the boy that he had lose Kazama sensei all those years ago.


	2. The Puppet Master

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Blood Pacts

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Disclaimer: Naruto and it's characters are copyright of Masashi Kishimoto.

A/N: Sorry for the long delay but the muse working on other stories and when she returned I fell down to a bout of flu.

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Part 1 - **_The Old Puppetmaster_**

After much consideration, Ukyo finally decided to try his luck at the nearest town. Normally, he would have preferred to peddle his trade in the small villages where the children were friendly and the people simple. Previously, the villagers would offer him meals and a place to spend the night in exchange for a performance. Lately however, the puppeteer have found his reception cold sometimes bordering on hostility and on one occasion found himself told in no uncertain terms to leave the village. To say he was bewildered by this change of behaviour was an understatement. It was at the last village he been that confirm his suspicion that something of great magnitude must have happened. There, a young farmer, taking pity on the white haired old man performing in vain in the centre of the deserted town square gave Ukyo a piece of advice. "Old grandpa, you won't be finding any audience around here. Everyone in the village and the surrounding countryside has been spooked by the bad tidings that the tradesmen brought back during their last visit here. No one is in the mood to enjoy your puppet show."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"Well…" 

The youth licked his lips nervously but didn't get a chance to elaborate when a middle age woman presumably an elderly aunt rushed out and dragged the farmer away.

So here he was now, tired, hungry with 3 weeks worth of travelling dust coating his clothes, hoping to grab a bit and perhaps a nice long bath at this inn he came across on his way to his destination. Ukyo was pleasingly surprised when the innkeeper offered to let the old puppet master stay one day for free with a meal provided if he would perform for a group of traders that evening who were some of the inn's most important guests. Ukyo had immediately accepted the offer, it was almost unheard of for inns to hire travelling performers especially when they were situated this close to town where they could easy make arrangements with some troupe.

The evening performance was done so well, the traders eventually invited him to join them for dinner.

Pleasant conversation soon followed the meal, after which the guests excused themselves one by one to retire for the night till only Ukyo and the head of the caravan remain. Offhand, Ukyo mentioned his observation of the strange happenings in the countryside and enquired if the trader knew anything about the 'bad tidings' that the young farmer had mentioned.

The businessman frowned and breathed deeply into his opium pipe. "Ah, old man. It is dark days ahead it is. Just about a month ago, the sovereign had attended the graduation competition at the ninja village in the kingdom of Fire. And…I've heard there was an attack on the village by those ninjas from the wind kingdom."

Ukyo almost felt his heart stop.

"And? What happened to the village? They fought off the attack didn't they?"

The trader scowled. "Of course they did, everyone knows that village boosts the strongest ninjas. However…"

"However…?"

"The Hokage was killed in the attack. The reason for the attack itself is unclear. And now, there are talks of war, everyone is unsettled by this. The Fire monarch has been in discussion with his advisors and presumably the village elders for weeks now. It is anyone's guess about what will happen."

A disquiet silence settle in the room for a few moments while each man pondered on the implications in his own mind. Finally, Ukyo spoke. "Ah, I am but an old man with not much longer to live and I had hoped to passed the rest of my days in peace but now, I fear what the future will hold. I think…I'll take my leave for the night if you don't mind. Perhaps sleep will provide some comfort."

The trader remained quiet, watching the old man gathered his tools and nodded in reply to the elderly puppeteer as they bid each other good night.

Saddled with the terrible news, Ukyo hobbled slowly back to the small room the innkeeper had provided for him. 

Instead of keeping his puppets and props, Ukyo reached into the huge straw travelling basket he always carried where he removed the small wooden tool case where he carefully kept the materials for creating and repairing his puppets. A whip of the hand and the entire contents were scattered to the floor. 

Taking the now empty case, he crawled towards the single lighted lantern in the room. Ukyo held the case carefully to the light till he could make out a small indent on the inside of the case. Then, with another jerk, the false bottom of the case fell out, revealing three tiny vials and tied and secured in a cushioning of red silk. 

Removing one of the vials, Ukyo poured abit of fine blue powder on into his left hand. He rubbed his hands together till both had a fine coating of the stuff. 

Finally satisfied, he cautiously bought them upwards till they covered his face. A faint sizzling sounded from beneath the hands but Ukyo didn't remove them, a pop, a smell of burning leaves, liquid started to escape from between the fingers, the skin that bordered the white hair blacken and curled away from the hands. After the liquid had run till there was no more, the sound stopped. 

Slowly, Ukyo's hands came down, one reaching for a small mirror that had been left in the room. Bringing the mirror before him, Ukyo examined himself in the mirror noticing with satisfaction that there had been no damage done except for a small burn on the side of the smooth forehead. The excessive padding that he had used to add bags to his eyes and wrinkles to his face were also removed. The reflection staring at him resembled a young man in his late-twenties and he couldn't help smiling to himself. "Well, for someone has reached the ripe old age of forty two, I must say I've aged petty good. Even if it's been over ten years since I last saw my true face. But enough of this vanity, I better head out tonight if I hope to catch the morning boat back to the Fire Kingdom. It'll be nice to see Naruto again."


End file.
